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Portland → Fairbanks

PDX–FAI · Portland International Airport to Fairbanks International Airport

Best bet

Either side

Both sides workThe two sides come out close to level.

Both sides have something going for them, and the totals come out close enough that picking one would be a coin flip with extra steps.

Flight paths move around. Treat this as the better bet, not a promise.

What you might see

In flight order, with distance measured from the representative route.

PDX to FAI: where each landmark sits relative to the routeA diagram of the representative route running left to right, with the departure airport at the left and the arrival airport at the right. Landmarks on the left side of the aircraft are plotted above the route line and landmarks on the right side below it, each at its distance from the route. The numbered list below this diagram carries the same information as text.PDXFAILEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE123456789
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 75 miles); the shaded ends are the 40-mile zones around each airport where the runway in use decides the view. Numbers match the list below. Hollow markers didn't count toward the recommendation.

  1. Mount Adams

    RightEarly67 mi off the route

    Mount Adams is about 67 miles off the right, early in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  2. Mount St. Helens

    RightEarly37 mi off the route

    Early in the flight, Mount St. Helens sits roughly 37 miles to the right.

    Good possibility

  3. Mount Rainier

    RightEarly75 mi off the route

    Look right early in the flight for Mount Rainier, about 75 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. Olympic Mountains

    RightEarly19 mi off the route

    Olympic Mountains is about 19 miles off the right, early in the flight.

    Good possibility

  5. Glacier Bay

    Either sideThree quarters6 mi off the route

    Glacier Bay passes almost directly beneath about three quarters of the way, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Strong candidate

  6. Mount Fairweather

    LeftThree quarters35 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Mount Fairweather, about 35 miles out.

    Good possibility

  7. Mount Saint Elias

    LeftThree quarters64 mi off the route

    Mount Saint Elias is about 64 miles off the left, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  8. Mount Logan

    LeftThree quarters38 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Mount Logan sits roughly 38 miles to the left.

    Good possibility

  9. the Alaska Range

    LeftNear the end38 mi off the route

    Look left late in the flight for the Alaska Range, about 38 miles out.

    Good possibility

The sun

Flying soon? Add your date and departure time and we'll work out where the sun should be, and which side gets less of it.

Airport codes or city names. SEA, Seattle, and Seattle-Tacoma all work.

Skip the date and you still get the landmark answer. Add it and we work out where the sun will be, using the departure airport's local time.

The route we used

1,637 mi
Great-circle distance
333°
Course out of PDX
312°
Course into FAI
8
Landmarks that counted

That is the shortest path between the two airports, used as a representative corridor rather than a flight plan. The first and last 40 miles are treated as uncertain, because that part of the flight is shaped by the runway in use and the published departure or arrival procedure. Anything in those zones is listed and marked, never counted toward the recommendation.

Left and right, from where?

Left and right are from your perspective sitting in the cabin, facing the front of the aircraft. Seat letters are not a reliable guide to which side you are on, because aircraft are configured differently.

Why this isn't guaranteed

Flights don't follow the same path every day. Runway configuration, weather deviations, traffic, and air traffic control all move the track around, and none of it is knowable in advance. We also have nothing to say about cloud cover, which is the other thing standing between you and Mount Rainier. The full method.

Flying the other way?

Fairbanks → PortlandEither side

Calculated from scratch, not by flipping this one. The landmarks arrive in the opposite order, the sun is somewhere else entirely, and the answer changes with them.

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